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How to Get a Job as a Legal Admin

Legal admin jobs, also known as legal administrator or legal secretaries, are relatively common and they are a way for many people to get experience in the legal world before deciding to further their education in that field (such as working towards paralegal or full blown lawyer).

Legal Administrators do a wide range of tasks to keep a law firm or a legal office running smoothly, managing day to day operations and keeping everything straightened out. It may not be the most glamorous job in the world, but if you are good in an office environment, have an eye for detail and good problem solving skills, this may be the job for you.

What kind of qualifications do you need and how do you land the job?

Qualifications Necessary to Work as a Legal Admin

Becoming a legal administrator does not require a huge number of qualifications, but they do require some specific ones. First of all, you need a Bachelor’s degree and it’s best if this BA is in law as you also need legal knowledge and legal administration skills. This means being able to do things like manage schedules, coordinate appointments, determine appropriate actions to a given situation, complete with the follow-up, prepare correspondence and presentations, maintain the system, conduct research, train new attorneys and make sure that all information is where it’s supposed to be and ready to be used. All this means knowing your way around a legal office, computers, and organizational systems and still be able to manage and coordinate with both clients and lawyers/attorneys/paralegals alike! Basically, whatever an attorney, lawyer or paralegal needs you to do in order to get a job done, you do and that can mean a wide range of tasks which means a wide range of qualifications.

At the very least, to get a Legal Admin Job, You should have:

Computer skills

Legal knowledge

The ability to work well alone and with others

Good writing skills

Good presentation skills

Good research skills

Be able to clearly share ideas and information

Be able to coordinate people, places and ideas for everyone else

That’s quite a list of soft skills and getting a related Bachelor’s plus experience working in an office will definitely help you land a job. Although this looks daunting, as long as you can showcase these skills, getting a job in this field is much the same as getting a job in any field: a good resume and cover letter, marketing yourself, conducting yourself appropriately at interviews and following up with thank-you cards, emails and phone calls to see how the process is going.

Job Prospects for Legal Admins

The outlook for legal administration is decent; there is a demand for people who can work to reduce legal costs, give improved service, and help paralegals and clients alike, particularly in the corporate sphere. Salaries are decent, starting at about $28,000 at entry level positions and as high as $65,500 for senior secretaries in large firms. That’s a pretty large range, but it does give you some scope for improvement!

Because legal secretary is a popular position, if you want to stand out, it’s important to have things like formal training, certification, and showing your skills.

If you like working in the legal world but you don’t want to work as an attorney, working as legal administration may be the way to go. Good luck in landing your new career as a legal administrator!